Stepping Out of Comfort Zones

Ann Heinrich didn’t have an adventurous spirit, no desire to travel to Africa and didn’t really have missions on her mind — but God had other plans! To an unexpected invitation, Ann immediately said yes to volunteer as the licensed counselor aboard the Africa Mercy for two years. Her husband however, took a bit more convincing! But once on board, it was obvious that God had a wonderful gift in store for Ann and her husband, one that they would never have dreamed of. 

In this episode of New Mercies, Ann shares about the importance of having a mental health professional on board our vessels. She also tells of the incredible blessings of close relationships, her time bonding with patients, and the ways her two years on board have shaped her life today.

Get ready to laugh a bit and think about how you too might respond to a spontaneous invitation to step out of your comfort zone.

Looking for a way to join our mission of bringing hope and healing? Partner with us through a gift, volunteering with us, or by joining us in prayer.

New Mercies Podcast Transcript

Welcome to the New Mercies, a podcast by Mercy Ships, where we’ll take you behind the scenes and on board our incredible hospital ships that are transforming lives all over the world. We invite you to join us each week as we sit down with our crew, patients, volunteers, and partners to hear their stories of life-changing hope and healing.

Ann Heinrich didn’t have an adventurous spirit, nor did she have the desire to travel to Africa, and she really didn’t have missions on her mind. But God had other plans! Ann was invited to volunteer as the licensed therapist on board the Africa Mercy and she immediately said yes! She is going to tell you all about her incredible two years on board with her husband, and how her life is forever changed. Here’s my interview with Anne Heinrich.

Raeanne Newquist:

Ann, welcome to New Mercies.

Ann Heinrich:

Thanks. I’m looking forward to a little conversation. It’s fun to think about Mercy Ships. It’s been a while and it’s always a good conversation.

Raeanne:

Oh, always. Well, I’m excited to speak with you because you worked in an area on board that we haven’t spoken to anyone yet about. And that is our counseling department that falls under chaplaincy. So I’m excited to hear your story and really more specifically what you did on board. So as we kick off our time, why don’t you tell us — How did Mercy Ships enter your life?

Ann:

It’s a funny story, to be honest, because I never wanted to go to Africa, it’s too far. And I didn’t grow up knowing really anything about missions. I’ve never really been to a missions church. So all that to say when I got a call that said, Would you? it was so shocking, and yet so wonderful. Because in the previous year, I knew God was moving me somewhere. And I knew it was going to be something big, but I didn’t know what it was. And so I kept kind of knocking on doors, saying, Oh, is this it? And then it’s like, no, that’s not it is this. And that’s not it. And one of the ones that was funny is I had been the teaching director for a Community Bible study. So I went to the Community Bible study and filled out my little card and says, you know, do you have any experience here, you know, and I checked off the box. And then nobody ever said anything to me. And I thought, Well, Lord, I guess this is not the door either. So when I got a phone call, I knew that I was being prepped for something. I was asked to go serve as the licensed counselor because that was a relatively new thing and Mercy Ships to have someone who is licensed. I’d be like the third one. And I just said yes, on that phone call. And my husband was in the other room and he goes, What did you just say yes to?

Raeanne:

So you hadn’t even talked to your husband about it. But you just said yes?

Ann:

Yes! And because we had moved to Texas in the last couple of years to be near our family and our kids, my husband said, I don’t think this is the right thing. We moved here to be close to the kids, I don’t know how going to Africa is going to facilitate this. And I said, I don’t either. But I feel really strongly that this is what God wants. And so he’s like, well, I don’t think so. So I had talked to a few people in our community group, and said, you guys need to pray because I really think this is where we’re headed and John did not get the same message I did. And I’ve been prepped and primed for a year. So he didn’t even want to go to the training and you know, like the night before, it was the training, I guess, to see what kind of organization it was. He helps people at church in their job finding ministry. So he just kind of threw it out there.” And my wife thinks that we should go to Cameroon with this organization.” When they finished the time together and two man walked up to him and said, We are both from Cameroon. What are the chances? And we think our country needs you to go there. So it was like, oh, okay, this something. So he said, Okay, let’s go to the meeting. And so we met with our community group, maybe that night or that week or something and I said, I’m going to throw you under the bus, because I need to go here and I’m going to talk about it. And so we got to community group and I said, So I want to talk about us going to this training thing over in East Texas. And he said, Oh, yeah, I signed up for it today. Oh, it was like, what? So that was kind of our introduction to Mercy Ships. And then when we went over, it was like, Oh, so this is a good organization, and it’s got character, and we like the people and okay, what do we have to do next? And so that must have been in February, it was kind of like an intro class. So we just went over for the day, I guess. And it’s like, okay, so now what do we do? Well, you need to be ready for onboarding in June. So whatever you need to do, you know, find support close up shop.

Raeanne:

Because that would be a two year commitment. So that’s a big deal. You’re not just going to visit for three weeks. So no wonder your husband was hesitant.

Ann:

Yeah, yeah. But you know, it just was a good spot that he was not working at that moment. And so the funny thing is, you know, you both have to have jobs unless you are taking care of your kids on the ship. And it’s usually, to be honest, the husband has the job and the wife, they just put somewhere, you know, but in our case, I had the job. So what are they going to do with John to get us on board, which, you know, is a whole story of how they do bed counts and jobs. And all that stuff is so bizarre. So he just said, I’ll cook. He’s an HR Exec. and so we knew that there would be opportunities for him to use some of his gifts. But there weren’t any at the moment. And so when we went, he got new clogs to wear in the kitchen. And decided he cook and cooking is a really hard job. So he was really good at it, too. So that’s how we started.

Raeanne:

What were your first impressions? I mean, this is a major life change. And it sounds like in some ways, it came out of the blue.

Ann:

Well, one of the things that was different than for a lot of people is that there was a huge turnover that year. And so our onboarding group was almost all like the managerial positions. And so we went after our three weeks together in Texas, all on board together. And we were a team. And almost all of us stayed the entire two years. And almost all of us left at the end of two years. And so we came with a family so to speak. So that made it really great. But the funny thing is, is that, you know, we hadn’t even looked to see what it looked like. Because it was all so new. So when we got there, it was like, wow, this is big. And then the other thing that I didn’t know is that you talk about a ship and going into port. I’m thinking like a cruise ship, right? So I’m thinking, Oh, it’s going to be dock somewhere and you can walk to the beach! And it’s like, no, we’re going to commercial port and there’s forklifts and 5 million bags of rice and people working with lights 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is not exactly what I thought it was going to be.

Raeanne:

So you hadn’t watched any of the Carys Parker videos?

Ann:

No. So it was all totally new, but I remember thinking one thing is that It was so clean. I mean, it’s like you could have eaten off the floor, how does this happen? And then after you’re there a while and you see housekeeping, spend their whole shift, just cleaning one way around, around around around. But it was a little overwhelming in the fact that you tend to find where everything is right and my sense of direction is not good. And so I was always lost, so just getting the lay of the land was challenging. So I can’t even imagine on the Global Mercy, they probably have to attach an air tag to me.

Raeanne:

Did you ever have a moment when you thought, What have we done? Why did we do this?

Ann:

Yeah. Because you think this is so different from our life? Right? I can’t believe we’re doing this. And at our age, you know, I would never anticipated this kind of adventure at that age. But you know, we didn’t have kids at home. So why not?

Raeanne:

So what was your role on board? We mentioned it in the beginning a little bit about being a counselor, but tell us about what you did.

Ann:

A lot of people have a lot of stuff, baggage or whatever, and you don’t leave it on the dock, you bring on the ship with you. You know, people have needs like they have needs everywhere, including mental health needs. And because of the change of life, it exacerbates some of them, or brings on new ones because you don’t have your old support system or your old family or whatever. So some of that is really heightened. And so knowing that there’s a need for really quality counseling, they decided to turn it into a licensed professional position. But it still remained under chaplaincy. And what was interesting, not everybody would probably agree with me, but I think I’m right, is that in the old days, you were sent to chaplaincy or the counselor because you had done something wrong, or things were not right, or you were causing a problem somewhere. So frankly, when I got there, it was like nobody wanted to come for counsel or to talk to any to the counselor. And so I was like, Well, this is not good. I decided to sit in on the staff meetings for each of the groups. So they knew who I was. And I also would know what they were talking about at their staff meetings on the problems and the things that were coming up for them either as a group or as an individual. And then we had a connection, and then it really turned the corner. And the floodgates opened, and I had so many people who wanted to come and talk and figure some things out. Some of them had really old stuff, that they had just never taken the time to but if not now When? Or it was stuff that just came up because now they’re isolated from the people that they love and care for them and they’re lost. And do they want to go home? Have they made a mistake? Or you know, am I going to meet somebody here because I’m single and I’m still unhappy? So it was a wonderful thing to feel like the doors opened, and then everybody wanted to come in. And the head chaplain at the time said I don’t know what it is, but they come in crying looking for Ann and then they go out laughing. So there’s some kind of magic that happens in that room.

My relationship with people was very different than working on a crew for the dining room or housekeeping or something because it was really one on one. It was very intimate and it was very deep. And because most of the people were there the same amount of time I was, you really developed such a closeness, but at the same time with confidentiality. It’s like okay, so where do you draw lines? Because to work in my position in the United states, there are very clear lines, right? Here you are, you’re seeing people, you’re having dinner with them, they live next door to you. There’s a lot of gray sloppiness, which, you know, trying to maneuver that sometimes was tricky. But man, it was so much fun.

A highlight was, I did a class for couples that were dating, seriously dating, so they didn’t have to be engaged. But they were probably headed that way. And because there are so many nationalities, all the couples pretty much are cross cultural. And so they are coming from totally different spaces. And it was so fun to find out more about their cultures, but also see, how are you going to navigate this? If you decide that this is the one and you get married, and a lot of them did, I had so many couples that get married. And then you know, quite a few of the people married Africans that were on the ship working. And so then you’ve got super big differences for cross cultural, it was just so enlightening and heartwarming. And I’m still in contact with those couples. Who wouldn’t want to do this? It was wonderful.

Raeanne:

I love that. Well, when was the moment? Or was there a moment when you felt like, Okay, God, this is why you brought us here. Did you have that moment?

Ann:

Early for me because I remember thinking, I am so happy doing this. And John said, to see you walk down the hall with somebody, I just know you were meant for this. I don’t have a lot of extra curricular needs. You know, I’m not a runner or a bowler or a golfer or anything. So to have your whole life kind of based in a very small fishbowl really suited me.

Raeanne:

Oh, that’s awesome. And did your husband continue in the dining room and in the galley?

He did for several months and it was funny, because he’s a very good cook and he said, You can’t expect people to cook food that they have no idea how it’s supposed to taste. Oh, and somewhere along the line they had discarded or lost all the recipes, which you need if you’re going to cook for 600 people. So he developed a lot. We would know when he was cooking and we would like race down there because John had fixed the soup that day for lunch. Oh, so we always knew when he was cooking, because it was just really good. But then they opened up a position for him in staff development, which is really his thing. He’s very good with people, he’s got great skills at communicating conflict, and moving ahead teaching people. So it opened up a lot of opportunities for him to be able to use some of his gifts in that area. But he missed the relationships, because now you’re switching from working with Africans in the kitchen, and volunteers and a whole group where you’re singing and dancing, to a regular eight by ten office and one other person. And then when you do the classes and stuff, it’s with staff. So there was a shift there. And I know that he missed some of that. He started a LinkedIn thing for the Cameroonians so that when the ship left, they could all be tied in together looking for jobs and things. He taught them all how to do resumes and things that were really important that no one had gotten around to. So he made some really good changes, I think as far as what he could offer. So in that way, it was nice, but he missed home.

Raeanne:

It’s interesting, you know, and like you had said you guys had moved to be closer to your children and your grandchildren. And then you no sooner did that and then you moved halfway across the world.

Ann:

And some people were so good. I think of Merrill, every Sunday, she would call her grandkids and would read a book and things because there was enough time difference in Australia and Africa, that she was going to bed and they’re waking up, or they’re going to bed and she’s waking up. And I don’t know, I just felt like the distance was okay to have.

Raeanne:

I do love that Mercy Ships is intentional about caring for the crew. And I think like you said, having a licensed professional onboard, is so important. And maybe people are listening to this thinking, Oh, my gosh, that sounds crazy, you know that people have to go to therapy when they’re on this ship. But as you mentioned, we all come with baggage, we all come with different things. And you think, Well, I’m not coming to volunteer and deal with that stuff. Right? What people don’t understand, is the environment of the ship, it’s almost like a pressure cooker. It’s very intense, and not in a bad way. But everything becomes very intense very quickly, as you mentioned, you are with the same people all day long, in every realm of your life, you work together, you eat together, you play together, you live together. And that takes relationships to a heightened level very quickly. And in a beautiful way relationships go deep very quickly, because you’re together all the time. But it does create a different kind of intensity. And then people realize, maybe the problems that they got on board with become magnified very quickly. So it’s wonderful to have a licensed therapist on board to help people work through stuff, but also processing this unique life change and environment when you get on.

Ann:

Yes, when you can offer some of the things because of your training, you know, like I did a couple’s class several times in the evening for couples to come so that they got extra communication skills or connection skills or something that you could do things that you could do at home, but that they didn’t have access to. Some of that was just really, really fun. And sometimes you could advocate in a way that nobody else could, you know, once in a while you get kids in the school system that are having a lot of difficulty. And so you have to advocate for the family and the child, and how it’s going to work out in the school. And so sometimes, you know, it’s a little bit of a stretch, and I was really glad I was able to do that. And I think had I been, I don’t want to say just a regular person, I don’t think I could have had the influence that I needed to have for those people to be able to stay on board, frankly.

Raeanne:

Well, we have, you know, highly trained professionals in the hospital, operating on people, we need highly trained and accomplished professionals dealing with people’s mental health as well. It’s a very, very important thing. How did you find maybe your practice different on board than you did in your private practice off ship?

Ann:

Very different. And what’s funny is now my practice is different at home again, based on how it was on the ship. I’ll just be frank, I have sloppy boundaries. You know, when I had a practice before, you know, they come for their 50 minutes they go home. You give them homework if they are so inclined, or you do different things. We lived in a small town, so before we moved to Texas, you would see people around town, but to be in Dallas, you know, you’re never going to have that happen. And so your lives never intersect to run into folks at their baseball game or in the same restaurant or anything. And then you get on board and everything intersects. Yeah, you know, I just had a session with you and you cleaned out my Kleenex box, and now we’re having lunch. So, you know, it was just different. And it meant a different, deeper kind of fulfillment in my life to be closer to people in that way. And also live life with them. Kind of like going to summer camp in a way. You know, it’s like so many good together moments. And so then when I came home, it’s like, you know, I follow up on people or I check in or I’ll read an article and go, oh, they would really like that. So I’ll send them an email with a something that I read or a joke or, I mean, I would never have done that before, you know, and I have a friend who turned her license in, because she didn’t really want to keep the kind of boundaries that are required.

Raeanne:

Well, tell us about an impactful moment for you something that you’ll always remember, from your two years on board the Africa Mercy.

Ann:

I’m going to give an example. Basically, this was out of my counseling realm. You know, when you’re not in medical staff, you don’t connect with the patient’s right, and you see them around, but it really takes an effort if you’re going to connect with why the people are really there. And so there were two patients that I started visiting at the beginning of the year and ended at the end of year, one of them and they’ve been used in different resources with Mercy Ships was baby Paul. And he came so underweight and when they met him, they said, bring him on board, because he would have been dead probably in another day. He had the cleft lip, and among some other stuff, couldn’t nurse and his birth weight was at maybe four months?

Raeanne:

Oh, wow. Was this in Cameroon?

Ann:

Yeah. And so when she got on board, somehow, I connected with the mom. And she had me hold the baby. Maybe she had to go to the bathroom, I don’t know. But we kind of developed, not exactly friendship, because we didn’t have any language, but kind of a mom to mom, or grandma to mom relationship. And she would let me hold the baby and he was so tiny. And then they would develop food for him. And so they would kind of go back and forth off the ship. And I would see him and play with them and sit with her. And we would just kind of know that we liked each other. And then at the end of the season, somebody said, oh, you know, it’s their last day. It’s like, no, so I ran down to the waiting area, because they had already discharged from the hospital. And I’m looking around and she starts waving to me. I had walked right past her, because over the last course of his treatment I that I had not really seen him. He had plumped up so much. So I sat down and you know, we kind of chatted and stuff. And she said, Now we call him marshmallow! Oh, it was so wonderful to have seen them throughout the year and to see him grow into a healthy baby and to have the mouth surgeries that he needed and the timeframe that it had to be in.

So, it gave me an insight on the heart of the ship. And now I get it.

And then there was a gal that had this huge tumor that stretched her eye clear out, it was the biggest thing I’ve ever seen. And the government had actually flown her in because they didn’t expect her to survive. And so she was 12. And somebody brought her, you know, a caregiver or family didn’t come. She had been ostracized because this huge, awful tumor and it really, you could hardly look at her. And I just decided, she’s my girl. So I would sit with her and she would go back and forth for treatment. And we would play games together. And you know, she’d never been to school. She didn’t know how to write her name. So when she was there, we would be together and then she’d leave for a month or two and then she’d come back and we’d be together. And she had her surgery and it was a magnificent change in her life. To understand okay, this is the heart of what Mercy Ships does and the rest of us all support that. But if you’re not in touch with anybody in the hospital or the surgery teams or something, you know, you miss something, right? And so to really know that, okay, if you’re on the ship, you better meet somebody that needs care. And in a medical way, because it will enrich your experience in a way you can’t believe.

Raeanne:

So because you took the opportunities to meet some of these patients — there are our visiting hours on board, or you can meet patients at the Hope Center — because you took advantage of that and as you said, got to see firsthand the mission of Mercy Ships, how did you then take that knowledge and that experience into your practice as a counselor on board? Because in many ways, you’re counseling the crew, which seems like it’s completely separate from the Mission of Mercy Ships with these patients’ surgeries? How did you kind of meld the two?

Ann:

Well, you get a better understanding of what they’re seeing. And for some of these people, it’s so dramatic, you know, they’ve never experienced any of these kinds of things that they’re seeing in surgery. And some of the things that we had on the ship that were different than what they were used to in their home hospitals, and how you have to make adjustments to what you have to where you are — it’s a lot. And then, you know, not everybody gets to get the treatment that they wanted, or they come for things that we don’t treat, and the teams that have to say yes, and no — you begin to understand how difficult that is right? Or when people have walked five days, and they come to you, and you say, we don’t treat cancer, they are devastated. And so when those people come to counseling, because they’re distraught, you understand a little better, because you’ve seen some of the stories, right? And it probably gives you then a better sense on how you can care for those crew members. Because, you know, the, the trauma, the strain, the stress that they’re experiencing, working with these vulnerable people in need,

And the drive for getting it right is so strong, some of these people won’t take a day off. So we encourage them to pull back and take care of themselves or we’re going to carry you out in a basket. So it was difficult sometimes. I think sometimes as Christians, we put the label of perfectionism on that, you know, this is what God would want from us. And God never wants perfection from us. It’s not even something we’re capable of, but to try and make a shift with the staff that this is a part of your life, but please don’t make it so consuming that you’re a mess.

Raeanne:

And it’s easy to do that, because the need is so great. So when you’re seeing that firsthand, you think I have to do as much as I can. But you don’t realize you’re losing your mental health, your physical health and the process. Which is, again, why it’s so important to have our counselors on board. So thanks for being one of those people.

Ann:

Yes, I did two women’s retreats. The two years I was there, they had had something before on occasions, but not something specific. And I thought, Oh, we have to have a women’s retreat. And so I connected with an organization called Velvet Ashes and they basically give you everything for the retreat, including the speaker that comes through, you know, the computer or the movie screen or whatever. And so I just thought it was so important. So I said, Okay, if I get like 12 people, then I’m going to do it. And we’re going to do it on a Friday afternoon and all day, Saturday and Saturday night. And the dads or whoever, they’re just going to have to take care of the kids. I don’t know what it’s going to look like but I’m going to do it. So I put a thing for sign apps and you know, we got five we got 10 We got 12 We got 20 We got 50 without 70 we got 120, which was like three-fourths of all the women on the ship. And I’m not that detailed, my thought was I’m just going to put this on and have people show up. And then it’s like well, okay we should have food. So they’ve got to go to department and order food and how are you going to have it? And then somebody said, Well, don’t you think it’d be nice if you put like African fabric up and around? And like, yeah, if you want to do that. So we had, I think 15 Different countries represented. And we sat on our chairs on the floor with sleeping bags or whatever and had worship at the start of it. We had Saturday breakfast and lunch. And then, you know, when we finished up after dinner, if they wanted to, they came back with their dinner plate and we watched a movie just to have fun. And it was just wonderful. We had like a craft, I’m not a craft person so I had help on that. And then we had door prizes. And they’re all like, what does that mean? It means like, I will call your number, and you come up and you get to pick something. Oh, my gosh, it was such a huge hit, because they’ve never done stuff like that. And we had a great time just together as women to share and talk and learn and sing and eat was magnificent. So the next year erybody signed up. And you know, I thought I’d be lucky to get 12 It was a wonderful experience for all of us. And I think everybody who went said, I don’t do retreats with women, I don’t like to do all women’s stuff. But they loved it.

Raeanne:

That is so great. Well, you definitely started a tradition because I know, when we were on board, I was a part of a women’s retreat that was on board as well. So the tradition carried on.

Ann:

I’m so glad because it’s, it meant such a need. And so fun.

Raeanne:

So much fun, so much fun. As we wrap up our time, you mentioned you’ve seen lives changed, you saw a couples come together in marriage, you saw patients have tumors removed, you see a lot of lives being transformed. How are you different because of this two-year wild adventure that you took with your husband?

Ann:

I think because I came from a no mission background, to see people who love God and want to love people and so having served those people, is like, I’ve got to keep serving those people because they’re doing something I can’t do, but I can support them. I can encourage them, I can pray for them. I can give them resources, I can listen to them. So that’s really been a huge impact in my life is to stay in touch and involved with people in the mission field.

Raeanne:

Wow, that’s awesome. It’s so important because it’s a hard job to be in a different culture or even a different neighborhood, you know, be with people that aren’t like you and trying to just share the love of Jesus with them. The ministers need to be ministered to.

Ann:

And then you know, the turnover rate has changed — when I was a kid, people who went on the mission field, it was a lifelong commitment. And they stayed, you know, till they were dead or came home very old or something. And so now people are younger, and they’re not staying as long but you want to do the best they can for the time that they have to give. And so it’s important to support.

Raeanne:

Yeah, absolutely. Well, thank you so much for sharing with us a little bit about your Mercy Ships journey. Thank you for caring for the crew and supporting them in that very important way. This has just been real eye-opening. So thank you so much for sharing.

Ann:

Well, I appreciate the time taken. It was a highlight in life.

For more information about Mercy Ships, go to mercyships.org, and to keep up with the guests on New Mercies, follow us on Instagram at NewMerciesPodcast.